Someone Builds The Dream by Lisa Wheeler & Loren Long (2021)

Architect. Engineer. Artist. Scientist. Designer. Author. What do all of these jobs have in common? They all come up with big ideas and they all rely on a team to “build the dream.” “Someone Builds The Dream” by Lisa Wheeler and Loren Long is a great STEAM picture book that shows the value of ALL jobs. An engineer can use math and science to design a bridge, but it will never become a bridge if the team doesn’t have people to mine the ore and pour the beam. This book really gets young kids thinking about all of the steps that go into building something. We live in an age of STEAM-focused children’s literature and educational programs, but it is important to note that science, technology, engineering, arts and math aren’t just strictly academic, it is also physical - it all relies on labor. Lisa Wheeler states in the book flap that she hopes children will learn the value of labor as they read this book. “Someone Builds The Dream” won the 2024 Illinois Monarch Award, which is a book award for children’s books for Kindergarten-3rd graders.  

Heart: We live in a society that values certain jobs and roles over others, but let’s face it - all jobs are important. All jobs are valuable. So, let’s teach our children that ALL parts of a team are necessary and important. This book does an excellent job doing just that!

Head: If I were using this in a preschool or elementary school classroom, I would love to have kids brainstorm other STEAM jobs that require a team. I wonder what amazing other roles they would come up with!